I’m Going Nuts Over This Allergy Concern On Flights
Hey Southwest and other airlines: I want my peanuts!
For years you’ve given us cheap airfares and a couple small bags of peanuts (along with an odd seating configuration, singing flight attendants and creative boarding procedures) and earned a lot of customer loyalty.
Myself included.
But now, you’ve taken away our peanuts. What!? Just because a few people have peanut allergies!? For decades, you built a clever “fly for peanuts” advertising campaign. Yet now you’re trading in your peanuts for pretzels.
While the gesture of replacing peanuts with other small snack items is nice, I don’t eat cookies and don’t like pretzels. I want my peanuts!
So you’re telling me people can come onto flights with peacocks and spiders as “emotional support animals” and I can’t have a bag of peanuts!?
“We were disappointed to learn about Southwest’s decision to stop serving peanuts, which even the airline considers an iconic part of its history and DNA,” the National Peanut Board said in a statement.
“It is an unnecessary step that will disappoint many of Southwest’s customers. It is also out of sync with the latest science, which shows education and preparation — such as allowing passengers to pre-board flights to wipe down their seats — do the most to benefit the one percent of Americans with a peanut allergy.”
A few months ago, I was perplexed when I was on a Delta Air Lines flight and an announcement came over the loudspeaker saying that they would not be serving peanuts. This was my first encounter with the peanut allergy issue. I’ve been flying for 30 years and suddenly now there’s an issue for people with a peanut allergy.
Okay, maybe I’m fortunate I don’t have this issue and I’m in the minority. Maybe there’s a huge number of flyers who break out or go into a sneezing frenzy when exposed to peanuts.
Not!
Here’s some research for you. About 0.6 – 1.0 % of people have peanut allergy. Four times as many people are allergic to seafood than to peanuts.
So basically, 99% of the population is being affected by what affects 1% of the population.
Well I can tell you one thing: the next time I fly first class, I BETTER be able to get my heated nuts or else I’m going to claim I have a condition that requires constant flight attendant attention, including continual cocktails and – of course – endless peanuts.
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